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So let me get this right. Adam originally titled a slide "Explain it to a woman" and got criticism for it being sexist, so he changed it. So in front of a conve

So let me get this right. Adam originally titled a slide "Explain it to a woman" and got criticism for it being sexist, so he changed it. So in front of a convention audience he decided to tell everyone this anecdote and was too stupid to predict how this would go over. Wow. If you tell 10 people and you get enough shit that you have to change a title. Don't tell 1000 and expect a better response. I don't think the big news here is that this guy is sexist, because I honestly doubt he is. I think the big news is that this guy is a fucking idiot. Here's a heads up to everyone who doesn't know "why the women are offended". It's not that he made the joke, it's that people laughed. Sexism isn't offensive, it's the culture that's offensive. 1 guy thinking women are stupid is just pathetic, it's that people agree with him and think there's nothing wrong with it. Every time I hear of incidents like this all I can think is that these are pathetic little men who haven't grown up socially since middle school. It's that they've allowed themselves to be so socially isolated that in their group they get away with sexism. I work in construction, it's a 99% male industry and yes sexist jokes get made between the guys. What happens though when a woman comes along who can do the job is that they get 10 times the respect. Why? Because when you physically are the weaker sex, it takes a lot of character to balls up and get the job done. I like when women come into the industry because they actually want to learn and work. I don't like when guys come into the industry because they're lazy idiots looking for enough cash to buy more drugs or to work enough time to get on unemployment for another 6 months. Women coming into IT should be exalted, because when they're the 1% it means that 99% of them got into the business to try to become great. When you're 99% of the people in the industry, it means 98% of you are simply there to earn a pay check.

srazzaque 15y ago
I totally agree with what you're saying about minority group entrants into industries dominated by another group - and I've seen this myself, they are generally quite talented and driven. However I think this comes at the cost of being scrutinised to a MUCH higher degree than everyone else (lets not argue chicken and egg here). A friend of mine put it perfectly - "when you're amongst the dominant group, you can get away with being mediocre" (i.e. the 98% you're referring to). Meaning that when you're the minority group - your every move will probably be scrutinised/analysed/categorised more closely. That said - I'm not sure if the personal attacks ("fucking idiot") are completely warranted here (though I suspect you wrote that in the heat of the moment). We all go through learning experiences, some of our learnings just happen to be on a much larger scale than others (and for Adam this was unfortunate). I know I've certainly offended people without meaning to ("it wouldn't have offended my friend Joe - and he's Asian too!"), but now I've learnt the fine art of holding my tongue with regard to such jokes amongst crowds that I don't know too well... sure, I guess I was an "idiot" too in that moment, but no more or less of an idiot than Adam here - despite the difference in scale.
- electromagnetic 15y ago
  Adam would have just been an idiot had he made a mistake. He's a fucking idiot because he self-admittedly remade the mistake. IE he had the learning opportunity he said he had to change the slides name, but did so repeating the same insult. You had a learning opportunity, and you self-admittedly learnt. You didn't then go in front of a hundred-fold bigger crowd and repeat the same mistake. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. I've been an idiot, many many times. I don't repeat mistakes on a much grander scale expecting a better result. I don't try putting out a candle with my fingers and burn myself and then try to snuff out my gas stove with my hand. There's a logical progression that if a small scale attempt fails, just abandon it. What I'm wondering is whats wrong with this guys brain that he got burned in his small scale and then thought "I know, this will surely go down great in a convention hall!"

srazzaque 15y ago

I totally agree with what you're saying about minority group entrants into industries dominated by another group - and I've seen this myself, they are generally quite talented and driven. However I think this comes at the cost of being scrutinised to a MUCH higher degree than everyone else (lets not argue chicken and egg here). A friend of mine put it perfectly - "when you're amongst the dominant group, you can get away with being mediocre" (i.e. the 98% you're referring to). Meaning that when you're the minority group - your every move will probably be scrutinised/analysed/categorised more closely. That said - I'm not sure if the personal attacks ("fucking idiot") are completely warranted here (though I suspect you wrote that in the heat of the moment). We all go through learning experiences, some of our learnings just happen to be on a much larger scale than others (and for Adam this was unfortunate). I know I've certainly offended people without meaning to ("it wouldn't have offended my friend Joe - and he's Asian too!"), but now I've learnt the fine art of holding my tongue with regard to such jokes amongst crowds that I don't know too well... sure, I guess I was an "idiot" too in that moment, but no more or less of an idiot than Adam here - despite the difference in scale.

electromagnetic 15y ago
Adam would have just been an idiot had he made a mistake. He's a fucking idiot because he self-admittedly remade the mistake. IE he had the learning opportunity he said he had to change the slides name, but did so repeating the same insult. You had a learning opportunity, and you self-admittedly learnt. You didn't then go in front of a hundred-fold bigger crowd and repeat the same mistake. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. I've been an idiot, many many times. I don't repeat mistakes on a much grander scale expecting a better result. I don't try putting out a candle with my fingers and burn myself and then try to snuff out my gas stove with my hand. There's a logical progression that if a small scale attempt fails, just abandon it. What I'm wondering is whats wrong with this guys brain that he got burned in his small scale and then thought "I know, this will surely go down great in a convention hall!"